By Sydney Robledo • Special for Times of San Diego

Copyright timesofsandiego

When I started high school, I felt an overwhelming sadness bubbling under my skin.

I don’t know when it began; it crept up on me.

Think of it like a younger sibling who keeps nagging you to do something, even though you’re already busy. All you want is for them to go away and leave you alone, so you yell at them, that doesn’t work, you bargain with them, and if that doesn’t work, you beg for them to leave you alone.

It becomes an endless cycle of yelling and praying for this feeling to subside, but it won’t go away, not for a long time.

As high schoolers, we take the stress and work of everything, jobs, driving, sports, and getting into college or trade school. With so much on our plates and so little time to complete it, we begin to feel the stress of it all, the sadness, and if we’re not careful, it could end badly.

The concept of teenagers’ mental health is embedded in society’s brains at this point, yet I feel as though many parents still do not get it.

Many teenagers feel stressed or overworked

If you ask teenagers about their mental health, many might say that they feel stressed or overworked.

According to the World Health Organization, “one in seven” or “14% of 10-19-year-olds” have or are experiencing mental health conditions that “remain largely unrecognized or untreated.”

What I’ve noticed, and what many of my peers have noticed, is that parents seem to often overlook the stress and pain experienced in high school.

Now, in no way am I saying that they are bad parents, because they, too, are experiencing life for the first time.

But when I ask my friends if they have told their parents about how they feel, they say they’re scared to, scared to be dismissed, or that it will cause more problems. And that’s the last thing we need: more problems.

But our mental health isn’t a problem, nor are our parents.

High school is a place with so many things happening, it’s hard to express if you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or just overwhelmed. Expressing emotions as a teen to people you idolize or respect is so tricky.

So why do we hide our feelings? Why not share our feelings with our family or friends? What if they have it worse than I do? What if my feelings aren’t as important as others?

Many, including myself, ask whether what we feel matters.

Every time we say this in our heads, we go down a rabbit hole of unhealthy coping mechanisms that becomes so difficult to get out of.

Prioritizing mental health

With the rise of hate in America, the ever-looming college applications, and life goals we are all just waiting to complete, our mental health needs to be prioritized.

To achieve our goals, we need to work hard and allow ourselves to rest. This rest could be for as little as five minutes a day or even a whole day. Allowing ourselves to rest and reflect on how we are feeling helps so much.

Every day, I would take five to 10 minutes to either take a nap, eat a snack, or simply sit in silence.

There’s no clear way to get better, feel better, and be better.

However, taking the time to reach out and understand your thoughts helps.

Let’s all begin to prioritize the mental health of high school students from now on.

Sydney Robledo is a student at Helix Charter High School.